Silver and Onyx
by SheegothBait
Summary: An injured young woman travels to Oasis to participate in a trial that could heal her and quickly finds herself swept up in something much larger than herself. Exploring the making of a Talon soldier and all that befalls her. (Warnings for dark topics; may not be suitable for young teens)
1. Sandstone

The artificial glow of the screen throws harsh shadows across your darkened room, and you check the clock on your computer as you take another pull at your coffee. It reads 3:27. You're not really used to staying up this late, but you've been waiting and hoping for a response to your application, which was supposed to be sent by today. The only reason you've stayed up, checking and rechecking your email, is because of the enormous time zone difference. If you're to go to where this trial is taking place, your circadian rhythm will need adjusting anyway.

You hit the little circular arrow in your browser bar, refreshing the page, and wait the agonizing four seconds while it reloads. A moment of disappointment is replaced by excitement when an new message pops up. You open it with one click, your hands slightly trembling.

_To whom it may concern:_

_You have been selected to participate in the trial as detailed in our flyer. Please follow all further instruction pertaining to pre-test requirements. This trial is expected to last a month; please pack accordingly should the trial require you to travel. Medical expenses will be paid for, and participants will also receive monetary bonuses for each day they choose to participate, to be given upon completion of the trial._

_The following is a list of documentation required to enter._

_1.__Physical exam dated within the last two months_

_2.__Complete vaccination record updated within the last six months_

_3.__History of injury, illness, or condition prompting entry into the trial, dated within the last three moths_

_4.__Metabolic panel, CBC, and drug screening dated within the last two months_

_5.__List of medication, dated within the last two weeks_

_6.__Passport or other form of ID updated within the last six moths_

_As a reminder, the trial will begin at 21/6, but all participants are expected to be present and accounted for by 20/6. Requests for housing accommodations can be made if the participant indicates he or she is traveling. _

_If you have any questions regarding this documentation, you may contact your primary care provider or our staff. _

_Your request for housing has been approved. Please speak with the staff for further information. _

_Thank you for your cooperation. _

You sit back and smile around your mug, closing the email and turning off your computer with a few clicks. You planned ahead and gathered most of the required documentation, and getting the rest should be little problem for you. The chair wobbles slightly as you stand with some difficulty and limp over to your bed, your gaze roving across the cross-country trophies and medals caught in the light of your powering-down computer. A smile flits across your lips again as you observe the shimmers in the reflective surfaces darken and vanish. Soon you'll have your legs back.

You first see her during the fourth day of testing. The scientists have to make sure their participants are healthy and no one has any lurking genetic issues that might complicate things, so they have a small contingent of Oasis' top geneticists present to run the screenings. Day in, day out, it's been test after test after test, back to back. Certain bits of you really hurt from where they took biopsies and your whole body aches with fatigue. You're tired from jet lag and…you suppose wouldn't really call it stress, but you _have _needed to navigate a lot of unusual things, from international security to international roads to international culture. The scientists are never the same, either; each, it seems, was hired for his or her own specialty, and they all treat you differently.

This woman in particular seems especially interested in your case, prodding you with questions while she prods and analyzes your body for data. You end up telling her a little about your running career and your college goals before it all came crashing down. In return, she introduces as herself as _Minister_in turn and tells you a little bit about herself. You find it kind of amazing that one of the Ministers of Oasis themselves would take it upon themselves to help out with this experiment, as you assumed they'd be too busy. She just laughs and tells you it's beneficial to her to be involved. The scope of this project is large, she says, so the genetic diversity is fascinating to study. You pose a few questions about the future of genetic engineering and wonder aloud what genetic enhancements would be like in the next few decades. She seems to notice your curiosity and expresses interest in getting to know more about what you think, but unfortunately she has other duties to attend to .

You don't see her again as the study progresses, but you're soon too distracted by pain to care. The study focuses on replacement of missing limbs (this segment in particular focusing on muscles and tendons), and the biopsies the scientists took are being used to grow replacements. The tests they're running now focus on reconnecting the cloned muscle and nerve fibers to preexisting tissue naturally, something that's always been a challenge in the past. So you reluctantly allow them to split your injured leg to the bone and place the fully-grown clone.

When you awaken from the anesthesia, you're told that the experiment was a highly probable success.

You stumble your way through recovery and more tests, but with each you feel more and more confident that the trial did work, and the happy noises the science wonks are making further support this. You limp, then walk, then run on the treadmill, your legs protesting at the use, but it feels _amazing_to run again. As the trial winds down, though, you begin to wonder where you could go next. Your scholarship for cross-country is gone, and your money is drying up. You don't have the cash to finish your science degree, and you begin to spend evenings looking for menial work.

Then you receive a message.

_Congratulations on the successful trial. I know you've been having some trouble acclimatizing to your financial situation. I would like to meet and speak with you in person; I have an offer that may interest you. _

_-Minister O'Deorain_

You don't wait to respond.


	2. Silver

You gape as the Minister's assistant leads you through the university, under vaulted ceilings and through vast libraries and past strange exhibits you can't make heads or tails of.

"You're lucky she's in her office," the man leading you says. "Usually she's got her nose buried in the secure labs, and the university doesn't let visitors down there."

He stops before a door and knocks. "Minister, your appointment is here."

"Come," a curt voice responds from inside, and the assistant gestures you in.

Her office is small, simple, and very messy. Her dark business suit blends with her wood surroundings, but her pale skin and bright orange hair stands out sharply from the natural color scheme surrounding her. She stands and extends a hand, her smile broad, if slightly lopsided.

"Minister." You shake her hand, trying to contain your excitement. Her fingers are long and skinny but very strong and very cold. "It's an honor to meet you."

She barks a laugh. "Please. It's only Minister in professional circles. You can call me Doctor O'Deorain." She gestures to the chair opposite hers. "Sit, sit."

You shift uncomfortably as you settle in the chair opposite her, wondering how many people she actually meets like this. "All due respect, Doctor, but aren't you a bit busy for, " you gesture at your surroundings, "this?"

"Exceedingly. But I make exceptions for certain people, especially those with curious minds." She stands and picks up her coffee mug from one of the shelves, then takes the seat across from you. You make out the writing between her fingers: _Stand back; I'm going to try science! _A smile darts across your face. She turns the script towards her, studies it momentarily, then puts it back on the desk, grinning.

"I see you're fond of science jokes as well. So tell me a little bit about your interests."

You shrug. "Well, I was in the field of biology, specifically human biology. My best course was microbiology, though."

"A fascinating topic, certainly, and definitely worth studying. Perhaps you were looking to take some genetics courses later in your education?" She sips at her coffee, still eyeing you.

"You kidding? I used to love doing Punnet squares in high school. I thought CRIPSR was the coolest thing since the freaking microwave. It's done a lot of good in the world. And I love your papers. They're really insightful as to how understanding us on a molecular level can change and help us as a whole."

She raises an eyebrow. "Do you now? There are a lot of people that would consider my work taboo."

"But, I mean, there are a lot of interesting research topics in them, and just because a lot of people don't agree with how you did things doesn't mean it isn't something we should explore."

"You seem quite open-minded about this. It doesn't bother you?"

"Maybe a little bit." You let out a short, nervous laugh. "I don't know if I would use humans if I was the one running tests."

"It's efficient, and there's only so much you can do with rabbits." She frowns slightly. "Don't you agree?"

"I…guess, as long as the person consents and is given proper knowledge," you admit.

"Then consider this: I am attempting a trial with the great potential to help thousands of people, including several individuals in the trial you just completed. I would like you to participate."

"Uh…" You don't know what to say.

"It's relatively simple. I'm developing a new kind of biotic system to map the nervous system real-time. A few injections, an hour in my office, some scans… you would be fiscally compensated, of course."

"Okay, I guess." If it's really as simple as O'Deorain says, well, this should be the easiest money you've ever made. And far and away, your greatest contribution to the sciences yet if Doctor O'Deorain is directly involved.

She stands up and fans out a stack of papers, beginning to paw through the mess for something.

"This is for you to read." She hands you a memory stick. "I will make the assumption, if you turn up for the trial, that you have read and understood this information and that you are giving your _informed _consent to participate."

You take the USB stick, not exactly sure if this is how giving consent to an experiment in Oasis is supposed to work. "Thanks? I guess I'll see you…"

"Tomorrow, same place, same time. Provided you decide to participate." She extends her hand again, and you shake on it.

It starts with a single test.

True to her word, it is as simple and quick as she promised, no pain at all, and the payment for sitting through such a short trial is almost a sixth of what the previous month-long trial paid you. Easy money, almost monthly rent payment. You ask a lot of questions during the trial, but Doctor O'Deorain answers a large portion of them openly. As the test (success, she claims) winds down, she offers you another trial to participate in, more money for your troubles. This time you don't hesitate.

This new test lasts longer, about a day, and again you are well-compensated for it. The money's so _easy_, and Doctor O'Deorain sounds so _pleased _with you. She suggests a hotel nearby while she waits for the test results, and you take her suggestion. You let your friends and family know what's going . Most of your buddies are in awe that you're getting to work with _the _Minister of Genetics, but your mom and dad have concerns, warning you about the things they've seen in the news about her.

Neither of them can answer you when you ask if they've read her research, and you hang up annoyed and dissatisfied with the conversation.

You lose a contact in the sink that night, and when you show up to the Minister's office the next day, wearing your spare glasses, she immediately notices.

_I can do something about that, _she says with a impish smile.

She agrees not to charge you, provided she can add a little twist to your genes. _For beneficial reasons_, she assures you.

You sign on the dotted line with a shaky pen.

She takes you down to her personal lab this time, throwing off her suit jacket in favor of a long white doctor's coat. You notice the scarring on her right arm, but decide not to ask. It's best not to antagonize her, right? Her touch is gentle but clinical, lingering only as long as necessary, and she runs the examination with such a straight face you think someone chiseled her features out of stone. Despite this dead-serious expression, she handles you carefully, telling you what to expect from your new eyes. You won't be able to do much for a few days while your eyes heal, but you'll see better in extreme light and dark and be able to see far more clearly than your average human. You're honestly just glad to be rid of your myopia, you tell her, your voice trembling a little with nerves. She tells you not to worry so much as she gives you a sedative. She's very good at what she does.

At least she take her job seriously.

When you wake up, your vision is so foggy you can _just _make out colors and your eyes hurt like you've been stabbed with ice picks. One of her assistants (she has a few) takes you back to your hotel and looks after you, and when you return to O'Deorain for a follow-up a few days later after the bleeding stops, you notice your eyesight is _definitely _healing. For the better, too; you can practically count individual leaves on the bushes across the street without your glasses. Just to be certain, she checks your vison and tells you that your scores are far above baseline for distance and light sensitivity. _As I expected_, she says with more than a little smugness.

You take back whatever concerns you had about her. She's _incredible. _

She mentions she has another trial open, a week this time. You'll have to travel for it, and it will require some preparation. It's all being funded through a group that wants to push the limits of human evolution, and you'll be paid better than ever. If you're still interested, that is.

Of course you are. You're just as curious about what she can do with genetics as she is.

You ask her about these people, this group. Where they get their funding, how great their influence is, what they plan to do with all this data.

_Is it possible for me to join?_

She smirks.

_We'll see. _

Been a while since I've updated things. My apologies. I usually have my beta check over things before I publish. She's very helpful at catching mistakes, but it takes time.

Anyway, hope it was worth it. Ch 3 is en route.

Thanks for reading! :)


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